TRAVELLING WITH(OUT) FEAR

Since that was on a Wednesday, Mr J and I decided to travel to Belgium on a Sunday and enjoy a couple of days in Bruges before my heading for the capital.

The day before leaving, I received an official warning email at work, saying that Brussels was ranked 3 out of 4 for risk of terroristic attacks.

Of course I knew it already, but seeing that in front of my eyes, clear on a screen, on an email sent personally to myself had a very strong effect.

I see all of the travel bloggers or other people I know stating that fear won’t win and it doesn’t make any sense to change a lifestyle because of that.

I totally agree. But when you have to face and win this fear yourself, it doesn’t sound that easy anymore.

I started packing and panicking in silence, while Mr J was pure calmness, thank god!

Only when I landed in Brussels I felt such an idiot. Why did I have to worry when I was only going to stay there for a few days? What should Belgian people do then? What would the world be if everyone had to show their fear?

I started imagining a world of wary looks, defensive general behaviour, everyone blaming others so easily.

I felt trapped in the fear trap, the one that somebody above us has created for us, the one that is conveyed through media and the new common sense of avoiding what might be dangerous.

But this is the question: what is really dangerous? Is there any way for us to know?

No. Absolutely not.

I have seen a lot of policemen and police cars everywhere, the army with their guns, sirens going off at any hour of day and night. And then I did go out and wasn’t able to see anything clearly “dangerous”!

I’m glad I had this excuse to travel to Belgium.

I’m glad I can say I feel a bit less idiot now that I put a shape to my thoughts.